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Actually the AUD is at about 92.4 US cents at the moment, which isn't too bad.
The difference in price stems from a combination of import duty imposed by the government, which the retailers have to pay, and the fact that the relatively very small market out here (20 million Aussies versus something like 300 million Americans) which "forces" them to grossly inflate prices in order to make stocking the items a viable proposition in the first place.
This tends to mean that for "specialty" items that 95% of the population don't buy, e.g. telescopes, x-country ski gear, etc., local prices will typically be between 50% and 100% higher than the price in the US or UK.
American retailers have contractual obligations to Celestron, Meade, etc., to NOT sell directly to overseas customers for this very reason... in order to protect the retailers out here. And while one can get around that (having the American retailer ship to a US address, and then having the item forwarded on to Australia) Celestron in particular accommodate that in their warranty restrictions... if one buys Celestron equipment in this way, it is expressly NOT covered by the usual warranty.
I am keen to support local businesses, however when the price difference approaches 100% for an item that is already costing >$1,000, I'm afraid self-interest wins out.
Chris
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